Engine Light On

[C.Noble]

It is possible for the light to be on for an almost insignificant reason, the tiny little heater circuit in the first of the two oxy sensor for example, this fault will only delay the operation of the oxy sensor by a few minutes after start up and is really unlikely in reality to affect the car or your wallet.

But, the whole point of the Malfunction Indication Lamp is to indicate a malfunction, therefore, you are likely to suffer from the old "cry wolf" trick, if you just ignore the reason the fault light is on, when another fault comes along, you wont know it... unless it breaksdown of course!

I would be VERY wary of anyone, ESPECIALLY a dealer, who tells you it is ok to ignore it because they cant find the cause, either they dont want to (cause they are underwriting the warranty) or they cant (then they shouldnt charge you for the repair/diagnosis).

I would also be VERY concerned about a slightly raised CO, most modern cars run nowhere near the MOT limits at idle, and if they do for prolonged periods, you can be sure the CATs life will be shortened, CO = partial combustion, which means the CAT is having to finish the job off in the exhaust, which means less bang for the buck (poorer/less good fuel economy) and a lower, albeit slight, power output.

My advice to anyone who puts a any car into a dealer or an independant garage for diagnosis in the event of a SRS, ABS, engine control, etc fault light coming on, would be to make sure they include the recorded fault codes in the final invoice, this will give you something to go on if the fault should return, and a google search will at least give you an insight into other peoples experience of the problem.

At the very least, I would always be happy to research and tell someone what there fault code means.

[ELFMAN]

Interesting.... I take on board what you're saying. My Car passed its M.O.T. this year with a Cat that's been on for at least 3 years. My fuel consumption's no worse (low 20's - 30's depending on my right foot) than any other 210 Works + bits, and the performance seems pretty good. If I'm not to trust the dealer's advice and how I feel the car's running (better than ever with its new ITG filter element) - what do you reckon I should do?

Should I get the dealer to run another Diagnostic and give me the fault code/s? That'd be another 45 quid for Dougie Park. Would the fact that I have a Playmini Manifold be affecting the gasses through the sensor which (presumeably) is set for the (tight as a duck's chuff) standard manifold etc? I know a couple of others have had this light problem after fitting aftermarket manifolds. Any advice gratefully received.

[C.Noble]

The manifold should not change the operation of the upstream oxy sensor, but depending on the design and the way the CAT is positioned between the two sensors may cause cat efficiency codes (P0420).

Without the reported code, I am afraid its all guesswork.

What I can suggest is if you are coming along to support Mr Dryden at the next meeting at the Doune hillclimb on the 28th or the next Knockhill round on Oct the 19th, bring your MINI along and I will plug in and get the codes for you Free of charge (of course, if you are supporting a MINI from another team, I will have to charge you lots! ), alternatively if you are passing through bonnie Fife anytime pm me and I will sort something out.

[audrey]

It is possible for the light to be on for an almost insignificant reason, the tiny little heater circuit in the first of the two oxy sensor for example, this fault will only delay the operation of the oxy sensor by a few minutes after start up and is really unlikely in reality to affect the car or your wallet.

But, the whole point of the Malfunction Indication Lamp is to indicate a malfunction, therefore, you are likely to suffer from the old "cry wolf" trick, if you just ignore the reason the fault light is on, when another fault comes along, you wont know it... unless it breaksdown of course!

I would be VERY wary of anyone, ESPECIALLY a dealer, who tells you it is ok to ignore it because they cant find the cause, either they dont want to (cause they are underwriting the warranty) or they cant (then they shouldnt charge you for the repair/diagnosis).

I would also be VERY concerned about a slightly raised CO, most modern cars run nowhere near the MOT limits at idle, and if they do for prolonged periods, you can be sure the CATs life will be shortened, CO = partial combustion, which means the CAT is having to finish the job off in the exhaust, which means less bang for the buck (poorer/less good fuel economy) and a lower, albeit slight, power output.

My advice to anyone who puts a any car into a dealer or an independant garage for diagnosis in the event of a SRS, ABS, engine control, etc fault light coming on, would be to make sure they include the recorded fault codes in the final invoice, this will give you something to go on if the fault should return, and a google search will at least give you an insight into other peoples experience of the problem.

At the very least, I would always be happy to research and tell someone what there fault code means.

Thanks for this bit worried about the CAT CONVERTOR sometimes especially going up steep hills it stinks is this normal or has that got anything to do with the light being on you probably think im stupid just not got a clue about anything mechanicalThanks for your advice x

[ELFMAN]

The manifold should not change the operation of the upstream oxy sensor, but depending on the design and the way the CAT is positioned between the two sensors may cause cat efficiency codes (P0420).

Without the reported code, I am afraid its all guesswork.

What I can suggest is if you are coming along to support Mr Dryden at the next meeting at the Doune hillclimb on the 28th or the next Knockhill round on Oct the 19th, bring your MINI along and I will plug in and get the codes for you Free of charge (of course, if you are supporting a MINI from another team, I will have to charge you lots! ), alternatively if you are passing through bonnie Fife anytime pm me and I will sort something out.

VERY kind offer CN, I really appreciate that - I'll see what I can do. I'll send you a PM soon so we don't take over this thread! It'd be good to find out why I'm lit up, as I'd like to know if the wee motor's fully fit - it feels pretty good, but I might be missing something!

[ELFMAN]

ps wouldn't DREAM of supporting another MINI than Mr. D's!

[C.Noble]

Thanks for this bit worried about the CAT CONVERTOR sometimes especially going up steep hills it stinks is this normal or has that got anything to do with the light being on you probably think im stupid just not got a clue about anything mechanicalThanks for your advice x

It is not uncommon for the cat to stink a bit when you put the engine under high load (going uphill, overtaking, etc) its caused by the honeycomb inside releasing sulphur, hence the rotten egg smell, but depending on your driving style, it shouldnt last long.

If the fault light is on though, it is likely that the ECU has stopped listening to a sensor that it believes is faulty/incorrect and will substitute that information with a default figure, and as it is always safer for the engine to be slightly rich (too much fuel) than too weak (too little fuel) it will run a little more fuel than is required and this can cause a smell on high load.

[mikeythemini]

There are some very bad aftermarket sensors about so I always use genuine parts.
A fault I have seen on Minis is the wire from the llamda sensor rubbing on the heat shield & shorting out, bringing on the light

[audrey]

Thanks for all your replies Elfman hope you get your light problem fixed post it up and let me know

[audrey]

There are some very bad aftermarket sensors about so I always use genuine parts.
A fault I have seen on Minis is the wire from the llamda sensor rubbing on the heat shield & shorting out, bringing on the light

Gonna check that its the genuine sensors hes put on my car.Maybe this could be the problem cheap parts trying to save money.Will speak to him next week when i go in.